Penang PR State Government Has Poured Tens Of Millions Of Ringgit In Funding Since 2008 Which Benefits BN-Held Parliamentary Seats.(en/bm/cn)

Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 28.9.2013.

Penang PR State Government Has Poured Tens Of Millions Of Ringgit In Funding Since 2008 And Sited The 2 Penang CAT Dialysis Centres In Balik Pulau And Seberang Jaya As Well As The Over RM 4 Billion Undersea Tunnel Link To Bagan Ajam Which Benefits BN-Held Tasek Gelugor And Kepala Batas Parliamentary Seats.

The Penang PR State government has never neglected opposition-held areas but has instead poured tens of millions of ringgit in funding since 2008 and even sited the 2 Penang CAT Dialysis Centres in Balik Pulau and Seberang Jaya as well as the over RM 4 billion undersea tunnel link to Bagan Ajam which benefits BN-held Tasek Gelugor and Kepala Batas parliamentary seats. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan should not label in Parliament two days ago the Penang government’s move to give RM40,000 annual allocation to the 10 opposition UMNO Assemblyman as a publicity stunt, but see this as a positive step forward for a healthy functioning democracy and the politics of inclusion.

Both UMNO leaders can disagree with the Penang state government’s move to give RM40,000 annual allocation because BN refuses to respect democracy and the choice of voters by giving annual development funds to other PR elected representatives in BN-controlled states. However they are wrong in saying that Penang PR state government only gives the RM40,000 annual allocation to BN-held areas.

On top of the tens of millions of ringgit in funding since 2008, the Penang PR state government took the bold step in 2012 to establish 2 dialysis centres at a cost of more than RM2 million in the UMNO constituencies of Balik Pulau, Pulau Betong and in Sebarang Jaya. Further the PR Penang state government insisted on including a under-seabed tunnel costing more than RM4 billion to link to Bagan Ajam, which is located in Tasek Gelugor.

If the Penang state government can spend these huge sums on development projects in UMNO areas, why can’t UMNO Ministers see the proposed additional annual RM40,000 disbursement beginning in 2014 to the 10 UMNO opposition assemblymen as a positive move that should be emulated by all states whether PR or BN.

The Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yakcob had even challenged Pahang DAP Assemblymen in the Pahang State Assembly that he would give money to PR State Assemblymen in Pahang if Lim Guan Eng does the same for UMNO Assemblymen in Penang. Would Datuk Seri Adnan Yakcob be a man of his word by “fulfilling his promises” or will he continue with UMNO’s divisive politics of hate and exclusion by refusing to respect the democratic choice of voters or to keep his promises?

The time has come to practice new politics of inclusion by respecting the choice of voters instead of the old politics of exclusion by punishing voters for choosing the opposition. This is the contrast between PR’s national reconciliation to BN’s national retaliation against the 51% of voters who supported PR at the last general elections.